Most biofuel is produced from maize. Scientists have recently discovered how to produce biofuel from maize faster and cheaper.
Scientists have discovered two new ways of using genetically modified yeast to produce biofuel more efficiently than previously possible. The two methods are described in two new studies recently published in Science.

The studies can make biofuel production much faster and cheaper and reduce the need for fossil fuels, says Professor Jens Nielsen, Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg and the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosurstainability at Technical University of Denmark, who is behind on of the studies.

“The combination of the two studies are important and interesting. One can imagine that this combination can lead to major advances in ethanol fuel production, “says Nielsen.

Danish scientist: “it’s a major breakthrough”

Professor Claus Felby from the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, studies the use of natural resources — using ethanol for biofuel production being one of his areas of expertise. He was not involved in the new study, but has read the papers and is very impressed — especially by the Danish study.

“The first thing I thought was: “Wow!” The Danish study is really a major breakthrough because scientists have succeeded in something that people have struggled with for a great number of years.”

Yeast is the most used microorganism in the industry, explains Felby. “If yeast can operate at higher temperatures it can be important for the pharmaceutical industry, chemical industry, and fuel industry. It’s a revolution.”

New technique increase ethanol production by 80 percent

The scientists behind the second study are American scientists from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). They also believe that ethanol production will be drastically improved with the two new studies.

In the study the scientists made yeast more tolerant to the ethanol that the yeast cells produce themselves.

This means that the yeast doesn’t die when the ethanol reaches a certain concentration.

By increasing the yeasts cells tolerance, the American scientists increases the production of biofuels by 80 per cent.

The yeast tolerance to alcohol is probably the single biggest problem in the production of ethanol today. The problem can be solved with these study results,” writes Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT, Gregory Stephanopoulos, in an email to ScienceNordic.

How to make ethanol

Ethanol is produced in large tanks. The process generates heat, which means that the tanks must be cooled down, otherwise the yeast dies. Cooling the tanks is expensive and also, the added enzymes actually work better at high temperatures around 45-50 degrees, but the yeast simply stops working around 35 degrees.

Also, the yeast cells do not tolerate the ethanol they produce themselves. When the concentration of alcohol becomes high enough the yeast cells degrade and the ethanol production decreases.

Both problems are solved in the new studies. Here, the Danish/Swedish scientists have modified the yeast cell genomes so that they can tolerate temperatures up to 40 degrees instead of only 35 degrees.

“It’s a big step in the right direction that we can make yeast that can operate at higher temperatures,” says Nielsen.

]]>http://www.altfuelconf.com/biofuel-breakthrough-scientists-use-gmo-yeast-to-produce-fuel-2/feed/0By 2017, Less Than Half Of New Cars Will Use “Simple” Gas Engines 2http://www.altfuelconf.com/by-2017-less-than-half-of-new-cars-will-use-simple-gas-engines-2/
http://www.altfuelconf.com/by-2017-less-than-half-of-new-cars-will-use-simple-gas-engines-2/#respondTue, 07 Jun 2016 10:20:55 +0000http://www.altfuelconf.com/?p=2390Pellentesque et lacus pretium tincidunt. Pellentesque at metus. Donec nisl a nisl. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in nulla orci ut leo nec cursus consequat, orci ut]]>Navigant Research predicts the majority of new cars sold by 2017 will be powered by something other that a conventional, non-turbocharged gasoline engine.

Now, hang on, all you EV advocates. This does not mean there will be an explosion of electric vehicles by then. What it does mean, according to Navigant, is that more cars will have turbocharged, supercharged, or compound turbocharged engines and more will be hybrids that use an electric motor and an internal combustion engine in combination. The cause of the shift away from simple gas engines is the need to meet increasingly strict fuel economy and emissions standards in all global markets.

“There is no single technology that will dominate fuel efficiency improvements over the forecast period through 2025,” says David Alexander, senior research analyst with Navigant Research. “The focus, instead, will be on incremental improvements in engines and transmissions, along with weight reduction in as many places as possible.” Alternative fuels like compressed natural gas (CNG) and propane will also play a bigger role in tomorrow’s cars.

Navigant expects that more manufacturers will employ stop-start technology to improve fuel economy and lower emissions. These systems shut the engine off when the car is at rest instead of allowing it to idle. When the driver transfers from the brake to the accelerator, the engine is restarted and the car drives like normal. Navigant says a form of energy regeneration will be incorporated into these stop-start systems, which will permit future cars to be mild hybrids without the need of large, heavy and expensive batteries.

In other words, within the next few years, conventional cars like that 1966 Dodge Dart with the Slant 6 gasoline engine you have been storing in your garage all these years will officially be a relic of the past.

Most biofuel is produced from maize. Scientists have recently discovered how to produce biofuel from maize faster and cheaper.
Scientists have discovered two new ways of using genetically modified yeast to produce biofuel more efficiently than previously possible. The two methods are described in two new studies recently published in Science.

The studies can make biofuel production much faster and cheaper and reduce the need for fossil fuels, says Professor Jens Nielsen, Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg and the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosurstainability at Technical University of Denmark, who is behind on of the studies.

“The combination of the two studies are important and interesting. One can imagine that this combination can lead to major advances in ethanol fuel production, “says Nielsen.

Danish scientist: “it’s a major breakthrough”

Professor Claus Felby from the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, studies the use of natural resources — using ethanol for biofuel production being one of his areas of expertise. He was not involved in the new study, but has read the papers and is very impressed — especially by the Danish study.

“The first thing I thought was: “Wow!” The Danish study is really a major breakthrough because scientists have succeeded in something that people have struggled with for a great number of years.”

Yeast is the most used microorganism in the industry, explains Felby. “If yeast can operate at higher temperatures it can be important for the pharmaceutical industry, chemical industry, and fuel industry. It’s a revolution.”

New technique increase ethanol production by 80 percent

The scientists behind the second study are American scientists from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). They also believe that ethanol production will be drastically improved with the two new studies.

In the study the scientists made yeast more tolerant to the ethanol that the yeast cells produce themselves.

This means that the yeast doesn’t die when the ethanol reaches a certain concentration.

By increasing the yeasts cells tolerance, the American scientists increases the production of biofuels by 80 per cent.

The yeast tolerance to alcohol is probably the single biggest problem in the production of ethanol today. The problem can be solved with these study results,” writes Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT, Gregory Stephanopoulos, in an email to ScienceNordic.

How to make ethanol

Ethanol is produced in large tanks. The process generates heat, which means that the tanks must be cooled down, otherwise the yeast dies. Cooling the tanks is expensive and also, the added enzymes actually work better at high temperatures around 45-50 degrees, but the yeast simply stops working around 35 degrees.

Also, the yeast cells do not tolerate the ethanol they produce themselves. When the concentration of alcohol becomes high enough the yeast cells degrade and the ethanol production decreases.

Both problems are solved in the new studies. Here, the Danish/Swedish scientists have modified the yeast cell genomes so that they can tolerate temperatures up to 40 degrees instead of only 35 degrees.

“It’s a big step in the right direction that we can make yeast that can operate at higher temperatures,” says Nielsen.

]]>http://www.altfuelconf.com/5/feed/0By 2017, Less Than Half Of New Cars Will Use “Simple” Gas Engineshttp://www.altfuelconf.com/4/
http://www.altfuelconf.com/4/#respondThu, 05 May 2016 05:58:12 +0000http://themes.muffingroup.com/betheme/?p=2275Pellentesque et lacus pretium tincidunt. Pellentesque at metus. Donec nisl a nisl. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in nulla orci ut leo nec cursus consequat, orci ut]]>Navigant Research predicts the majority of new cars sold by 2017 will be powered by something other that a conventional, non-turbocharged gasoline engine.

Now, hang on, all you EV advocates. This does not mean there will be an explosion of electric vehicles by then. What it does mean, according to Navigant, is that more cars will have turbocharged, supercharged, or compound turbocharged engines and more will be hybrids that use an electric motor and an internal combustion engine in combination. The cause of the shift away from simple gas engines is the need to meet increasingly strict fuel economy and emissions standards in all global markets.

“There is no single technology that will dominate fuel efficiency improvements over the forecast period through 2025,” says David Alexander, senior research analyst with Navigant Research. “The focus, instead, will be on incremental improvements in engines and transmissions, along with weight reduction in as many places as possible.” Alternative fuels like compressed natural gas (CNG) and propane will also play a bigger role in tomorrow’s cars.

Navigant expects that more manufacturers will employ stop-start technology to improve fuel economy and lower emissions. These systems shut the engine off when the car is at rest instead of allowing it to idle. When the driver transfers from the brake to the accelerator, the engine is restarted and the car drives like normal. Navigant says a form of energy regeneration will be incorporated into these stop-start systems, which will permit future cars to be mild hybrids without the need of large, heavy and expensive batteries.

In other words, within the next few years, conventional cars like that 1966 Dodge Dart with the Slant 6 gasoline engine you have been storing in your garage all these years will officially be a relic of the past.